Vinyl sales hit a fourteen-year high in 2019 while overall physical album sales continued to decline.
People like to argue about the longevity of physical media. Buying albums, they say, guarantees a record will be part of your collection for the foreseeable future. Streaming gives us access to virtually all music, but for how long? What is stopping Spotify from tucking specific releases behind a premium plan? Can anyone guarantee artists won’t decide to pull their catalogs from streaming platforms until royalty rates rise?
The individuals that like to make these arguments are correct in their beliefs regarding physical media. Streaming makes everything easy, but despite the popularity of services like Spotify, the future for the medium remains unclear. If you absolutely must have an album in your life, the best way to do so is to buy a physical copy.
Sadly, it seems, people want to own albums less and less. In 2019, Americans purchased 73.5 million records in some physical format, be it CD, vinyl, or even cassette tape. Of that figure, 18.84 million were vinyl, which is up over 14% from the year prior, according to data shared by Nielsen Music in its annual year-end report on how the music industry is doing.
In total, vinyl now accounts for more than one-fourth of all physical media sales.
A large portion of the vinyl album sold in 2019 stems from records widely considered to be classic. The Beatles sold more vinyl records than any other group last year. Bob Marley, Queen, The Beach Boys, and Fleetwood Mac also sold incredibly well.
When it came to new talent, Billie Eilish was ahead of the pack. The teenage pop singer sold more than 175,000 copies of her debut record, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, on vinyl. That’s more physical sales than most artists see from all physical formats combined.
It seems likely that vinyl will continue to lead physical media sales in 2020. Older generations are clinging to their favorite format, and younger generations have fallen in love with the sound and look of great records. Vinyl is a high-risk investment for young artists, but it can yield high returns with the right audience
The best advice for avoiding burnout and developing your career requires the least amount of work.
We live in the ‘motivation age.’ Whether it be in books, on podcasts, or plastered throughout social media, there is no shortage of people shouting into the void about maintaining forward momentum. They tell us to sleep eight hours a night, exercise daily, eat clean, and hustle — always hustle.
Want to get your dream job? Hustle. Want to get ahead in your career after landing that great gig? Hustle. Want to have a spouse and a family? Well, you better hustle so hard that you can afford the time away from hustling required to do all those goals that have nothing to do with work.
If you’re working in entertainment today, you have probably spent a Saturday morning or Sunday evening checking emails when you should have been doing something with family and friends. You have likely worked ten or twelve-hour days when you’re only required to do eight. You have chased the approval of superiors to a fault because you fear something bad will happen if you take even one day for yourself.
I have been this person more times than I would like to admit. My partner has been this way, too. We are always struggling to balance work and life outside of work. More often than not, work takes priority.
There is a growing body of scientific evidence that tells us such thinking is bad for our mental and physical health. You can push your brain pretty far, but eventually, your brain starts to push back. The creativity that once flowed like water becomes a slow drip. The spreadsheets that once felt straightforward suddenly feel complicated. What is easy feels exhaustingly difficult.
“There is a lot of research that says we have a limited pool of cognitive resources,” says Allison Gabriel, an assistant professor of management at Virginia Commonwealth University who studies job demands and employee motivation. “When you are constantly draining your resources, you are not being as productive as you can be. If you get depleted, we see performance decline. You’re able to persist less and have trouble solving tasks.”
The law of diminishing returns is a phrase used to refer to a point at which the level of profits or benefits gained is less than the amount of money or energy invested. All humans have this point, and most of us are doing all the wrong things to increase the longevity of our productivity. We do more and more when we should be doing less. We fear asking for time off because we feel to do so is admitting weakness. We tell ourselves we are undeserving of rest because there is more to be done.
Everyone’s story is different. The vacation time afforded to one person may be far greater or less than the next. Whatever your case happens to be, use these steps to get ahead by getting away:
Experience life outside work:
When Scooter Ward of the rock band Cold finished his last album cycle, the legendary musician had the opportunity to record something new. Ward chose instead to take some time to experience life. In an interview on the Inside Music Podcast he explained his decision by recognizing the role everyday life plays in creative pursuits. “My music is inspired by what is happening in my life. You can grind it out on the road or in the studio nonstop, but eventually, all you’re doing is writing music for other musicians stuck in that situation.”
Sometimes people lose sight of why we work. You don’t have a job because it’s the cool thing to do. Careers can be exciting, but they are not (usually) the main source of joy in our lives. People work so that they can afford to spend time with friends, care for a family, and travel the world. Living life without feeling tethered to work is key to our longterm happiness. Don’t lose sight of what really matters.
Take a vacation.
You do not need to visit another country or spend a ton of money to take a vacation. For some, vacations take place in the homes they otherwise never see because they are working around the clock. Others may use time off to try new hobbies. Find what fits your budget, set an away message on emails, and do your best to do as little as possible that puts a strain on your brain.
Set boundaries with your job by setting aside at least one day or evening a week that is work-free.
The wheels of business never stop turning, but you should. You are legally afforded time off. However, it is on you to take full advantage of that allowance. If you do not draw a line with work it will follow you everywhere you go. You should be able to eat dinner without keeping your phone on the table. You should be able to wake up and not immediately check your emails. You have to separate your life from your career because, in time, the job will pass and the business will roll on without you. When that day comes, what will you have left? Will there be people in your life? Animals? Will you have an existence that continues without the tether of work or will you have given your precious time on this planet to help someone make more money?
Take short play breaks during the week.
Sometimes the break your brain needs does not require time off or hours away from your work. Sometimes all you need is five minutes to grab a cup of coffee without checking your phone or go one a walk. If you want to check your social media or play a mobile game, that’s fine too. Take a few moments to yourself whenever you feel brain strain setting in and you will be amazed at how fast you recover.
If you don’t feel like you can take five minutes to do something without checking your work emails or answering a text, please reconsider the boundaries you have set at work. There are very few jobs where every message is a life or death scenario that needs immediate attention. I’m not encouraging you to slack off, but you have to take care of yourself.
Take naps
Finding time to rest in the middle of the day is harder for some than others, but it is a worthwhile affair for all. Carve out time when you’re working through the weekend to decompress on your couch or in your bed. Take thirty minutes to rest and recover. Your body will thank you.
During a recent appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, The Black Keys shared hard truths about life in music today.
The success of The Black Keys feels like something out of a movie or novel. Hailing from a place in Ohio most never knew existed, the band has developed a global following with a unique approach to music that leans heavily on the golden age of rock and roll. They have topped charts, both with singles and albums, and regularly perform at some of the biggest venues on the planet. Essentially, The Black Keys have accomplished everything an artist or group could hope to achieve, and they are still going strong several albums into their career.
The math didn’t make sense to The Black Keys, so they ultimately decided to pass on the idea.
The success of The Black Keys feels like something out of a movie or novel. Hailing from a place in Ohio most never knew existed, the band has developed a global following with a unique approach to music that leans heavily on the golden age of rock and roll. The dup has topped charts, and they regularly perform at some of the biggest venues on the planet.
The Black Keys have accomplished everything an artist or group could hope to achieve, and they are still going strong. Most would assume such success makes them happy, but on a recent podcast appearance, the band shared the struggles that may surprise fans.
Speaking to Joe Rogan, The Black Keys first vented about bundling, which is one of the more popular methods of boosting album sales in 2019. The band explained that for every ticket sold they would give five dollars to their label, who would then deliver a download link of their new record to the ticket buyer. However, the ticket sale only counts toward the band’s album sales if the purchaser downloads the album. If 50% of fans who purchase concert tickets download the record, that means The Black Keys are paying their label $10 per record sold. Furthermore, they do not earn royalties on those album sales.
The band then revealed that they had sold roughly 250,000 tickets for their Fall tour, which meant 125,000 fans would likely download the record using links they received from the label. That 125,000 downloads would cost The Black Keys more roughly $1.25 million, which is more than the band was given to make the album.
The math didn’t add up, so The Black Keys passed on the bundling offer.
Rogan was clearly surprised by the revelation, but The Black Keys were only beginning to share their concerns about the industry.
The Black Keys’ latest album, Let’s Rock, is available now wherever you get music. Don’t miss it.
Will Spotify’s latest marketing ploy boost its subscriber count as Apple Music’s popularity continues to rise?
Spotify Premium now includes a free subscription to Hulu’s ad-supported plan. That perk goes into effect today, and it is available to new and existing users of Spotify’s Premium streaming service in the US.
The announcement marks the latest bundling collaboration between the two streaming giants in recent years. In 2017, Spotify introduced a plan for university students priced at $4.99 a month. The subscription included ad-free access to Spotify’s entire catalog, as well as access to Hulu’s limited commercial plan.
To take advantage of the offer, new Spotify users can sign up now. Once joined head over to the “Your Services” page within account settings and activate your Hulu subscription. If you already get Hulu through Spotify, you won’t have to do anything to start saving an extra $3 per month. On the other hand, if you subscribe to Hulu and don’t yet have a Spotify account, you’ll need to cancel your billing through Hulu, then set it up through Spotify to receive the discount.
Unlike the $4.99 Student Plan, which bundles Hulu’s limited commercial plan, plus the Showtime channel alongside the music streaming service, its new promotion doesn’t include any other free extras. The new deal does not allow subscribers to add additional services to their plan, which means those who access Hulu through Spotify will need to find another way to enjoy Game Of Thrones and Billions in the months ahead.
The timing of Spotify’s new offer could not be better for the company, who has spent the past week embroiled in controversy after taking a stance against raising the royalty rate it pays artists. The deal also reveals yet another way the streaming company hopes to combat the rising popularity of Apple Music, which has been growing its premium subscribe count at an alarming rate in recent months.
We try our absolute hardest to bring as much quality content as possible. Over the last year we have upped our efforts from five posts a week to seven, and from there we have been upping our game whenever time allows. I think the most we’ve ever posted in seven days is 10 articles, and I’m not sure we would want to do many more than that. People can only take so much information in one sitting, you know?
Anyways, we wanted to try make eight weekly posts a staple of our content plan, so today we are sharing a special guest blog from our friend Andrew Jones on the topic of whether or not the industry can be saved. This blog exists to promote the future of the music industry, and to do that we need input from people like you and your music-loving friends. If you have any questions about the content in this article, or if you have an artist you would like to see featured on this blog, please contact james@haulix.com and share your thoughts. We can also be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Nothing in this world can save the music business. Not a piece of software, not a fan initiative, no radio station or big idea. Nothing can actually save the music business.
Why?
Because it doesn’t need saving.
I grow weary of articles talking about this band or that website saving music. Music is fine, and for as long as people have souls, there will always be people who make their living making music to feed those souls. That has always been the case and it will be that way until the end of time. Humans need music, being a great musician takes time, time costs money, and people are willing to pay.
We can look back to even the most ancient of civilizations and find music as a profession. The Bible talks about a professional musician who lived in the FIRST city (Gen. 4). All over the world, where there was commerce, there were musicians under the employ of religious orders, priesthoods, Kings, queens and rulers. By the time of the Roman Empire, rich patrons would hire and support musicians and other artists. It’s hard to say when exactly “ticketed” artistic events began to take full swing, but certainly by the 1500′s it was part of the landscape. And then in the early 1900′s people began to record music onto wax.
And thus in the early 1900′s the recording industry was born; not the music business, the recording industry.
Remember, the music business is untraceabley old. Let’s be very conservative and call it 5000 years. The recording industry is about 100 years old.
The recording industry first looked like it might fall apart in the 1920′s with the advent of radio, but it didn’t. It grew. It grew and it grew and it grew. It grew until it was 100 years old and made lots of dudes in suits lots of money and a couple artists along the way too.
But then the recording industry got old and sick and lazy. Instead of finding creative ways to use the internet (Apple and others did that for them later) they blamed the internet and sued their fans. As a result, the recording industry is in trouble.
BUT how is the music business doing? Well, artists can (for the first time) receive direct support from thousands of micro-patrons, record and sell their music more affordably then ever, bands can interact directly with fans and organically boost live show attendance and audience retention, kids recording with webcams are being flown around the world to perform at festivals AND PEOPLE STILL LOVE AND SUPPORT MUSIC.
So, you can try to save the recording industry if you want; but don’t try to tell me you are saving the music business, it’s not going away anytime soon.
This post was written by Andrew Jones, editor of Checkered Owl. It originally ran on his blog, but we loved it so much we felt it deserved to shared once more on ours. If you like his work and want to read more of his writing, or if you want to be super cool and offer him full time industry employment, reach out and connect with him on Twitter.
